The invention relates to a bathtub insert for handicapped persons comprising a bottom frame, a seat plate, a scissor-type guiding device arranged between said bottom frame and said seat plate and a lifting device consisting of a water-fillable hose closed at its ends, one end of the hose fastened at the bottom frame and the other end fastened at the seat plate, a pair of swinging plates pivotably connected at opposite side edges of the seat plate respectively and by spring means pre-stressed into the plane of the seat plate respectively.
A bathtub insert of this kind is known from my U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,029. In this known bathtub insert the seat plate extends substantially over the whole length of the bathtub and is provided with a pair of swinging plates at the front and rearward ends of the seat plate. Therefore, during lowering of the seat plate all gaps between the seat plate and the walls of the bathtub are closed and the handicapped person cannot get his hands and feet caught between the seat plate and the bathtub. However, a bathtub insert of this kind is expensive and creates some problems with respect to transportation and storage.
If the handicapped person is able to sit on the lifted plate a smaller bathtub insert can be used as proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,725,578 and 2,772,721. In these constructions however, the problem exists that the handicapped person tries to hold himself fast to the seat plate when the latter is lowered. Handicapped persons cannot fully control movements of their arms and legs. Therefore, the danger of squeezing in hands, arms and legs does exist in the insert according to U.S. Pat. No. 2,725,578 especially between the stiffening rings of the bellows and between the seat plate and the bottom frame. In the insert according to U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,721 jamming can occur between the scissor arms and also between seat plate and bottom frame.
Further disadvantages of the known art do exist with respect to a missing positive control of a complete draining of the lifting device and to the fact that no means are provided for holding the insert in a flat transportation position.